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Storm of the Century Trivia Quiz

In October 1987 I was on holiday on a small Greek island when rumours about a hurricane back home in England started to circulate. The rumours turned out to be mostly true and this quiz is about what happened.

A multiple-choice quiz by zippolover. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
zippolover

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
362,036

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
296

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. On Sunday 11th October 1987 the weather forecast for the week ahead, known as the Farmer's forecast, predicted stormy weather over most of the UK. After watching the weather patterns this was downgraded by mid-week to what? Hint

High wind over the entire country

Heavy rain over the entire country

Heavy rain over the Channel and south coast only

High wind over the Channel and south coast only

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Question 2 of 10

2. Unfortunately, an area of depression, i.e. low pressure, was developing over the Bay of Biscay. What do such areas usually form under? Hint

Heavy, still air

Heavy rain clouds

Swirling winds

Bright sunshine

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Question 3 of 10

3. At 6:30 am on Thursday 15th October 1987, gale warnings were issued for the English Channel. At 10:30 am these were upgraded to what? Hint

Countrywide gales and severe gales in the Channel

Severe gales in the Channel only

Localised high winds and severe gales in the Channel

Stiff breeze countrywide and severe gales in the Channel

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Question 4 of 10

4. Michael Fish, the weather forecaster on the BBC 1:00 pm News, reassured the viewers and told them that the expected strong winds were heading west and would dissipate over the Atlantic Ocean.

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. The depression from the Bay of Biscay was gradually deepening and creeping north-eastwards, and at 10:35 pm, force 10 winds were forecast. Shipping warnings were sent out by radio at 12:30 am on the 16th October 1987. What time were the emergency services alerted to the possibility of problems over the land? Hint

12:30 am

01:30 am

02:30 am

03:30 am

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Question 6 of 10

6. The south east of England was the worst affected area with winds in some places of up to 120 mph (190 km/h). Why were no higher speeds recorded? Hint

Recording equipment failure

The equipment was on hills, so blew away

The wind speed peaked and then tailed off

Most recording machines were turned off

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Question 7 of 10

7. Eighteen people died in England during the hurricane and the aftermath, including two firemen on a rescue mission. Why do the experts say that this was, thankfully, a low number? Hint

The hurricane hit mainly rural areas where there were fewer people

The hurricane struck when most people were in bed

The hurricane hit at fifty feet, so those low to the ground were safe

The hurricane missed many areas as it did not go into valleys

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Question 8 of 10

8. Why was the weather report made by Michael Fish shown in a short sketch during the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics? Hint

Part of a sequence explaing why England is so green

Part of a montage showing bad decisions

Discussing the weather is seen as typically English

Part of a montage showing showing famous Michaels

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which country, apart from England, was badly affected by the hurricane of 1987? Hint

Germany

Greece

USA

France

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Question 10 of 10

10. Technically, a hurricane is the name given only to a tropical cyclone.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Heavy rain over the Channel and south coast only

By Wednesday 14th October, the weather patterns were interpreted to show that heavy rain would be the bigger problem. On the Thursday afternoon, the whole of the UK had only light winds, so it looked as if the forecasters had got it right.

2. Unfortunately, an area of depression, i.e. low pressure, was developing over the Bay of Biscay. What do such areas usually form under?

Answer: Swirling winds

In the Northern Hemisphere, the winds swirl anti-clockwise. The lower the pressure, the higher the speeds.

3. At 6:30 am on Thursday 15th October 1987, gale warnings were issued for the English Channel. At 10:30 am these were upgraded to what?

Answer: Severe gales in the Channel only

Unfortunately, the forecasters had not been provided with all of the available data to enable them to make a correct prediction. They were by then aware of the high winds, but still thought that they would not travel northwards over land.

4. Michael Fish, the weather forecaster on the BBC 1:00 pm News, reassured the viewers and told them that the expected strong winds were heading west and would dissipate over the Atlantic Ocean.

Answer: False

Michael Fish started his forecast by reassuring the public that a hurricane was NOT on the way. He showed a weather map with low pressure over the English Channel and stated that it was expected to move east and south over France and Spain. He did add that England should "batten down the hatches" as there would be some strong winds heading our way, especially along the south coast.

Answer: 01:30 am

An alert was issued to the police and fire services: Extreme wind conditions expected. At least force 11 on the Beaufort scale was reached. The hurricane hit Cornwall in the south west of England first and exited over Hull by 6:00 am.

6. The south east of England was the worst affected area with winds in some places of up to 120 mph (190 km/h). Why were no higher speeds recorded?

Answer: Recording equipment failure

The Royal Sovereign lighthouse only recorded up to 110 mph (177 km/h). One gust in Gorleston, Norfolk in the east of England was recorded at 122 mph (196 km/h). 120 mph (190 km/h) was recorded at Shoreham-by-Sea before the equipment failed. Most of the machinery used mains electricity, which was disrupted by the hurricane. Estimates by experts are that the actual speeds were probably closer to double(!) those recorded.

7. Eighteen people died in England during the hurricane and the aftermath, including two firemen on a rescue mission. Why do the experts say that this was, thankfully, a low number?

Answer: The hurricane struck when most people were in bed

The hurricane devastated whole areas, but in others it was very patchy. For instance, there were only a couple of trees uprooted on the street where I lived, but a short distance away a whole wood disappeared along with several walls and roofs.

8. Why was the weather report made by Michael Fish shown in a short sketch during the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics?

Answer: Discussing the weather is seen as typically English

The title for the opening ceremony was "Isles of Wonder" and it tried to cover all "things British". Included in that was the British sense of humour and love of discussing the weather.

9. Which country, apart from England, was badly affected by the hurricane of 1987?

Answer: France

Spain, Belgium and Norway were also affected, but it was the neighbours either side of the English Channel/La Manche that were worst hit. Four people died in France. The highest wind speed recorded was 140 mph (220 km/h) at Granville. France reported recording equipment failure too. The rest of Britain was not affected by the hurricane.

10. Technically, a hurricane is the name given only to a tropical cyclone.

Answer: True

What England experienced was a storm with hurricane strength winds. There is no official term, that I can find, for a hurricane that was not formed in either the North Atlantic or North Pacific Oceans. That is why I stated in the introduction to the quiz that the rumours of a hurricane in England were mostly true.

Source: Author zippolover

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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